Chapter 2 Flashcards
How many squadrons were fully equipped, manned and organized when the US declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917?
Only one, the 1st Aero Squadron
Traditionally, commissioned officers served as pilots before WWI. what types of auxiliary capacities did trained enlisted personnel fill?
Supply, construction, photo reconnaissance, radio, mechanics, armament specialists, welders, riggers, sail makers.
General HQ Air Force waited until WWII began before starting a massive expansion program T/F
False
Even though training centers expanded and multiplied from 1939 to 1941, what helped meet the demand for training?
Private Schools
What was the estimated ratio of support personnel to planes during WWII?
70 men to one plane.
What was top priority for assignment of women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during WWII
Serving at aircraft warning service stations.
What led to the integration of the Air Force?
On 11 May 1949, Air Force letter 35.3 mandated that black Airmen be screened for reassignment to formerly all-white units according to their qualifications.
Enola Gay dropped the first nuclear bomb on what Japanese city?
Hiroshima (6 August 1945)
Three days after Hiroshima, _______dropped the second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
Bockscar
The Soviet Union fought against Hitler with the Western allies. Why didn’t this alliance survive after the war?
Because of ideological differences between capitalist democracies and communism.
Who were the Big Three who met in 1945 to discuss the postwar division of Europe?
Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt
What did the meeting of the Big Three in 1945 lay the foundation for?
The UN
What was air power’s most decisive contribution to the Cold War?
The Berlin Airlift
Who led the 15 month Berlin airlift, bringing in more than 2.33 million tons of supplies on 277,569 flights?
Major General William H Tunner
Of all the enlisted functions, which was perhaps the most critical to the success of the Berlin airlift?
maintenance
The Soviets capitulated and dismantled the surface blockade of Berlin without a bomb being dropped. What did this victory lay the foundation for?
NATO
How did the Korean War begin?
With a surprise invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950
By 1950, where was most US ground and air strength located in the Pacific?
In Japan.
Name the NCO who shot down a North Korean YaK-3 the first such victory recorded during th war.
SSgt Nyle S. Mickley
What turned a stalled North Korean offensive into a disorganized retreat back to the north in September 1950?
US forces landed in South Korea and pursued the beaten army north of the 38th parallel.
Give three examples of missions performed by B-29’s that hadn’t been considered before the Korean War.
1) Interdiction; 2) battlefield support; 3) air superiority
On 9 November 1950 Cpl Harry Lavene scored the first B-29 victory over a jet by doing a________
Mig-15
Name the NCO who shot down two MiG’s on 12 Apr 1951, a feat unmatched by any other gunner
Sgt Billie Beach
In the 1950’s, US involvement in Vietnam began as what kind of operation?
A Cold War operation to contain Communism
What US President first authorized American intervention in Vietnam?
President Harry S Truman in 1950
What was the first sustained bombing campaign of the war against North Vietnam?
Rolling Thunder from 1965 to 1968
Name the SSgt of the 3d Security Police Squadron who earned a Silver Star for heroics while helping defend Bien Hoa Air Base in Vietnam during the North Vietnamese tet Offensive of 1968
SSgt William Piazza
American presidents wanted the Vietnam conflict to be fought and resolved by the Vietnamese with the US in an “________” role only
“Advisory”
American responsibility in the Vietnam conflict became primary for combat operations after what incident, followed by the Senate resolution in 1964?
The Gulf of Tonkin incident.
In 1969, President Nixon announced that ending US combat in Southeast Asia was a primary goal. What did he charge the SecDef with as a top priority?
The Vietnamization of the war.
In 1972, Communist forces crossed the Demilitarized Zone, taking advantage of reduced US ground presence. How did President Nixon respond?
He ordered the harbors mined. (peace talks broke down)
What air operation convinced the North Vietnamese to finally resume negotiations?
Operation Linebacker II –11 days of intensive bombing of Vietnamese cities by B-52s
How long after the first cease- fire were North and south Vietnam officially unified under a Communist regime?
After only three years
One of the first known uses of aircraft to render assistance was dropping food to ______flood victims in 1919.
Rio Grande.
What operations in 1956 and 1957 airlifted more than 10,000 Hungarian refugees to the US for asylum after Soviet forces crushed an anti communist uprising in Hungary?
Operations Safe Haven I and II
What month-long airlift delivered more than 1,000 tons of material to Chile in 1960 following earthquake, volcanic eruptions, avalanches and tidal waves?
The Amigos Airlift
What 1975 event triggered the largest aerial evacuation in history?
The fall of Cambodia and south Vietnam to communist forces
What 1991 humanitarian airlift provided blankets, tents and food to displaced Kurds in northern Iraq following the Persian Gulf War?
Operation provide comfort
What 1991 humanitarian airlift followed a typhoon in Bangladesh?
Operation Sea Angel
What humanitarian airlift in 1992 and 1993 provided food medicine and cargo to the republics of former Soviet Union?
Operation provide hope
A 1994 humanitarian airlift carried 3,600 tons of relief supplies to refugees in what country in war-torncentral Africa?
Rwanda
What 1983 operation rescued hundreds of US citizens attending medical school in Grenada after a coup?
Operation Urgent Fury
Several Air Force enlisted personnel received special praise for their efforts in Operation Urgent Fury. what was Sgt Charles H. Tisby noted for?
He was a loadmaster who saved the life of a paratrooper in his aircraft by hauling him back into the plane after his static line fouled.
What 1984 directive established in principle a US policy of preemptive and retaliatory strikes against terrorists?
National security Decision Directive 138.
What 1986 terrorist event led President Reagan to authorize a retaliatory air strike against Libya?
The bombing of a Berlin discotheque popular with US servicemebers.
The 1989 invasion of Panama to bring Manuel Noriega to the US to face drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges is known as what?
Operation Just Cause
What equipment was first used during a contingency by Air Force personnel in Operation Just Cause’s nighttime airdrop?
Night vision devices
What county did Iraq’s Saddam Hussein invade and attempt to annex on 2 August 1990
Kuwait
In 1990, Iraq was poised at what country’s doorstep?
Saudi Arabia
The US sought and received US sanction to act against Iraq. How many nations joined us in Operation Desert Shield?
27
What was Operation Desert shields aim?
The massive military buildup in Saudi Arabia near Iraq’s border aimed to deter Saddam Husseins aggression agains the Saudis and prepare for counter invasion if necessary.
Within the first week of Desert Storm, the air war was essentially won. T/F
False (it was won in the first 24 hours)
During desert Storm, coalition air forces pounded entrenched ground forces into surrender. what did they do during the final stages of the air war?
They tank plinked destroying Iraqi tanks on the ground one at a time.
From suppliers to the line crews, coalition maintainers enabled a constant surge during Desert Storm T/F
True
How long did it take for Iraq to surrender once the air war ended and the land invasion began during Desert Storm.
Scarcely 48 hours.
The Air Force went into Desert Storm talking in Cold War terms about air superiority and sustainable casualties. What did it come out trumpeting?
Air supremacy and minimal or no casualties.
On 27 September 1991, the Cold War was officially over. What event signaled the end?
Strategic bomber crews were ordered to stand down form their decades-long, round-the-clock readiness for nuclear war.
When Iraqi troops defeated a Kurdish rebellion in northern Iraq in April 1991, more than a million Kurds fled to Iran and Turkey to avoid massacres. What operation was a UN Security Council authorized humanitarian relief effort?
Operation Provide Comfort
What incident 14 April 1994 aroused negative public opinion and a demand for changes in friendly fire prevention?
Two American F-15s misidentified and shot down two UH-60’s killing 26 people
What did Operations Quick Transit I, II, and III do in 1996?
Airlifted displaced Kurds to safe areas in Turkey and Kurdish factions’ struggle for power ledone faction to accept Iraqi backing to drive another from the city of Irbil. (7000 refugees proceeded on to Guam for settlement in the US in Operation Pacific Haven)
What operation succeeded Operation Provide Comfort on 1 January 1997?
Operation Northern Watch.
What operation established a no-fly zone in southern Iraq in 1992 to discourage renewed Iraqi military near Kuwait?
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch supported US Security Council Resolution 688, which required what two things?
1) protecting Shite Muslims under aerial attack by Saddam Hussein after Operation Desert Storm and 2) enforcing other UN sanctions against Iraq
Operation Southern Watch proved the ________ concept was sound when a composite unit arrived fully armed and began flying within 12 hours of landing.
Air and Space Expeditionary Force (AEF)
How did the Air Force react to the 1996 bombing of Khobar Tower, Dhahran AB?
It reorganized existing security police units into new security forces groups and squadrons trained and specialized in all aspects of force protection, including terrorist activity and deployed force security.
List the four operations the US initiated in Somalia between 1992 and 1994.
1) Operation Provide Relief 2) Operation Impressive Lift 3) Operation Restore Hope and 4) Operation Restore Hope II
What unexpectedly changed Operation Uphold Democracy in 1994 from a military invention to an insertion of multinational peacekeeping force?
At the last minute, former President Jimmy Carter persuaded the military leader of Haiti to relinquish control.
Which UN airlift operation to Sarajevo in Bosnia lasted from 1992 to 1996?
Operation Provide Promise
Why did President Clinton significantly expand Operation Provide Promise?
In response to continued attacks by Bosnian serbs on Sarajevo and on the relief aircraft themselves.
What secondary mission dropped 50 tons of toys and children clothes and shoes over Sarajevo in December 1993?
Operation Provide Santa
What NATO operation (1992-1995) attempted to impose a no-fly zone over Bosnia in an effort to limit the war?
Operation Deny Flight
When did NATO score the first aerial combat victories in its 45 year history?
When two US F-16’s intercepted six Bosnian serb jets and shot down four in February 1994 during operation Deny Flight.
What 1995 operation held Bosnian Serbs accountable for attacks against UN forces with an incessant air campaign, striking targets around Sarajevo and throughout Bosnia?
Operation Deliberate Force
After the warring Bosnian parties signed peace accords in Paris in December 1995, what operation replaced Operation Deliberate force in 1996?
Operation Joint Endeavor
The Serbian governments oppression of the ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo turned to violence and mass killings led by President _____
Slobodan Milosevic
What NATO operation began in March 1999 to force Serbia to accept Nato terms for ending the Conflict and avoid the ethnic cleansing that took place in Bosnia?
Operation Allied Force
When did fighter aircraft begin to fly combat air patrols over US skies in support of Operation Noble Eagle?
11 September 2001 the same day as the terrorist attacks
What Percentage of pilots flying Noble Eagle missions belonged to ANG?
More than 80 percent
What was the two fold mission of Operation Enduring Freedom?
1) provide humanitarian airlift to the people of Afghanistan and 2) conduct military action to root out terrorist and their supporters there.
Aircraft from which three countries began a sustained campaign against terrorst targets during Operation Enduring Freedom?
France US Britain
What was the last major town under Taliban control, abandoned in December 2001?
Kandahar
Set in southeastern Afghanistan on 4 March 2002, the Pentagon called it Operation Anaconda. What did the men who fought there call it
The battle of Roberts Ridge
What operation officially began on 20 March 2003 and ended on 1 May 2003?
Operation Iraqi Freedom
The battle plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom was based on what concept?
“Shock and Awe” destroying the enemy’s will to fight rather than physically destroying its military force.
Who was SSgt Scott Sather?
A combat controller who became the first Airman killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
What town did British forces take, the key to delivering humanitarian aid during Operation Iraqi Freedom?
Basra
Who was the first person on the 55 most wanted leader list issued by the coalition during Operation Iraqi Freedom to surrender?
Iraq’s science advisor.
What was President Bush’s 2 May 2003 declaration of victory in Iraq based on?
An assessment given three days prior by General Tommy Franks, the top US military commander in the Gulf.
What operation signaled the start of the War in Afghanistan?
Operation Enduring freedom.
Which TSgt received the Silver Star for his actions after his patrol was ambushed in the Gayan Valley, Afghanistan.
TSgt Kevin Whalen
What event on 25 June 1996 drove the Air Force to emphasize combat preparation as part of BMT?
The Khobar Towers bombing. (BEAST)
On 11 March 2004 in Afghanistan, SMSgt Ramon Colon-Lopez overran enemy postions and suppressed enemy fire after his team’s helicopter took sustained small-arms fire and was seriously damaged as it landed. Which medal did Colon-Lopez receive for his actions?
Combat Action Medal
Name one the the three combat controllers who distinguished themselves during a January 2007 battle against about 800 heavily-entrenced Iraqi insurgents?
TSgt Bryan Patton; SSGt David Orvosh; or SSgt Ryan Wallace.
Which command did the Air Force Establish in October 2008 to focus on nuclear assets?
Air Force Global Strike Command
What caused the Air Force to establish Air for Global Strike Command?
Two incidents involving mishandling of nuclear weapons
What was the stated goal of the US invasion of Afghanistan one 7 October 2001
Dismantling the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and ending its use of Afghanistan as a base.
on 21 may 2012, leaders of the NATO member countries approved President Obamas exit strategy for Afghanistan . what did this ext strategy call for?
An end to combat operations in Afghanistan in 2013 and withdrawl of the US-led international military force by the end of 2014.
Why did US Special Operations Forces temporarily suspend training for Afghan local police recruits on 2 September 2012?
To double check the background of the current police force, following a rise in insider attacks against NATO troops by Afghan forces.
Which TSgt received the Silver Star for his actions when his team was ambushed in Wardak Province, Afghanistan
Tsgt Delorean Sheridan
As focus shifts away from al-Qaeda threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to those that have sprung up form Syria to Nigeria, the US-Led Operation Enduring Freedom will transition to NATO’s Operation _________
Operation Resolute Support
